Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
SJI National Historical Park seeks public input on draft accessibility self-evaluation and transition plan
||| FROM CYRUS FORMAN for SJI NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ||| San Juan Island National Historical Park has released its draft Accessibility Self Evaluation and Transition Plan. As part of the planning process, the National Park Service is seeking public comment on the draft plan. The park will host a virtual open house to
Over half a million Washingtonians at risk of having electricity, natural gas or water services shut off
COVID-19 utility moratorium ends Sept. 30; state leaders urge customers who are behind on energy and water bills to contact utilities and make a plan to keep services on ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| OLYMPIA, WA -- The emergency proclamation preventing shut-off of water, electricity or natural gas services is
Fall Park & Rec program posted, open for registration
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Park and Recreation District Fall program list is up and open for registration. We are excited to be back into the full swing of things this season with offerings in soccer, flag football, choir, tennis, running club,
Hedrick Smith speaks with Shaw residents
Hedrick Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and Emmy award-winning producer and correspondent, addressed a group on Shaw Island on Saturday, August 28. Hedrick Smith Shaw Island 8.28.21 - SD 480p.mov from Louis Whitford on Vimeo. After serving 26 years with The New York Times from
Letter to Editor | Thanks for lettuce-ing entertain you
||| FROM CARLENE BALCOMB-BARTOK for SAN JUAN COUNTY PARKS & FAIR ||| Please accept our sincere appreciation for all County residents who participated in and enjoyed the 2021 Virtual Fair. Your willingness, flexibility and creativity during these unique times is why the San Juan County Fair was a success! We
Letter to Editor | OIFR extinguishes wildland fire, while department morale plummets
||| FROM PATRICK SHEPLER ||| Thank you, Orcas Fire & Rescue, for the excellent job done on Saturday's wildland fire. Your quick actions led to another successful operation. Now rewind to last Monday night, at the Board of Fire Commissioners (BOFC) meeting, where one commissioner said the board may need
A whimsical poem from Burce Hanna
||| FROM BRUCE HANNA ||| Einstein imagined traveling faster than time on a trolley approaching a large clock Say the trolley was a mile away… several clicks of the minute hand would occur before the trolley got there But if the trolley moved twice as fast… only half the amount
Boat America safety class is upcoming soon. Register now.
||| FROM PENNY MILCZEWSKI for U.S.C.G. AUXILIARY ||| We hope you have had the opportunity to be out on the water. We have one class of Boat America currently pending. It starts Tuesday, September 7. This may be our last class for 2021 Washington State Parks administers the recreational boating
A startup Is turning houses into corporations; neighbors are fighting back
||| FROM NPR.ORG ||| On a sleepy cul-de-sac amid the bucolic vineyards and grassy hills of California's Sonoma Valley, a $4 million house has become the epicenter of a summer-long spat between angry neighbors and a new venture capital-backed startup buying up homes around the nation. The company is called
What’s the deal with Orca and peanut head?
Peanut head: What is it, when does it happen, and what are the causes? CONTENT WARNING: Contains photographs of severely emaciated killer whales. Several weeks ago, K21, the oldest male killer whale (orca) in the Southern Resident community, was photographed and videoed in a state of severe emaciation, showing an
Orcas Island Jazz Festival returns this week at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), lights up Orcas Center every Labor Day weekend to celebrate and share the music of jazz. This year, COVID-friendly precautions will be taken to hold socially-distanced in-person events as well as live-stream options for those who
Upcoming workshop | Solar opportunities/considerations for NW WA farmland
||| FROM KATE MIKULAK for WSU EXTENSION OFFICE ||| Solar on Farmland- Opportunities and Considerations in NW WA When: Thursday, Sept 23, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Where: Online via Zoom Registration: Free! Click here to register: https://bit.ly/farmlandsolar Speakers: Chad Higgins Oregon State University, Biological and Ecological Engineering Addie Candib American Farmland Trust With special guest
Call for assistance | Might you have a spare computer for a worthy cause?
||| ELEANOR HOAGUE ||| I have worked for a long time with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), a very successful non-profit that promotes immigrant rights and benefits at a state and federal level. During COVID, for instance, they were able to get state funding to grant $1,000 to individuals
School superintendent offers thanks for safe start screenings
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community, On behalf of the Orcas Island School District, I would like to say “THANK YOU” to the students, family, and staff that participated in the OISD “Screening for a Safe Start” held this past Wednesday. The
Orcas Island Fire wants to know, is your property “FireWise”?
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue is pleased to announce a joint focus with our community on the National Fire Protection Association’s FireWise USA program. Every year, we witness wildfires occurring across the country. This raises our concern especially as
Orcas Elementary’s summer reading program is a success story
||| FROM TOM OWENS ||| Orcas Elementary’s summer reading program met with good success. Four weeks, two hours a day, 14 students received additional reading instruction. The summer vacation months are typically a period of declining reading skills, particularly for those students falling behind. The goal of the Orcas Elementary
